Spring-jack for telephone-switchboards



(No Model.)

H. B. ATHAYR. SPRING JACK FOR TELEPHONE SWITGHBOARDS.

No. 563,333. Patented July 7, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY B. THAYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE XVESTRN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OFV CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-JACK FOR TELEPHoN-E-swlTcHBoARDs.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Lellefsv Patent NO. 563,333, dated July'?, 1896. I Application filed July 5, 1895. Serial No. 554,96'5. (No model.) l

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY B. THAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring-Jacks for Telephone Switchboards, (Case No. 2,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to springjack switches for telephone-exchanges and my object is to provide a cheapand compact switch in which the contact-terminals shall make firm contact with the contacts of the plug inserted therein.

Speaking generally, my invention comprises a spring -jack provided with linesprings adapted to engage contact-terminals provided upon the plug and a test-ring, thimble, or stationary contact adapted to be engaged by a sleeve upon the inserted plug, a spring or flexible tongue being adapted to also make contact with the sleeve, whereby circuit is closed between the stationary contact and the liexible tongue through the sleeve of the plug and a iirm contact insured. The spring-jacks are built up in the form of a strip containing a number, say twenty, of springjacks arranged side by side. The thimbles or test-rin gs of the different spring-jacks are cut away or slotted upon one side for the reception of the flexible tongues, which maybe formed by making incisions in a strip of metal, such as Germ an silver, to form tongues, which may be bent down to extend through the slots provided in the testrings and thereby constitute the ilexible contacts.

I will describe my invention more in particular by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a plan view of a strip of springjacks embodying my invention, some of the parts being removed and others broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is a view of a terminal plug adapted to be inserted in one of the springjacks. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through one of the spring-jacks, the contact-pieces being removed. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing 5o the contact-pieces in position. Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the `test-ringer thimble. Fig. '8 isa sectional Vview of one of the spring-jacks and the terminal plug inserted therein.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several gures.

The contact-pieces are mounted upon a strip or block a, which may be made of indiarubber, holes a being bored into the strip from the edge, after which one side of the 6o strip may be cut or planed away to expose the holes a from the side and to leave the projections a2 a2 on the upper surface and the ridge a3 and seat a4 along the front of the strip. The line-springs b b rest upon the face 6 5 of which a nut c is adapted to be secured. 7o

The test-ring d is inserted in the hole a', the strip d', to which circuit connections may be made, resting in a slot cl2, cut in the face of the strip a. A thin plate e, which may be made of German silver, is provided with trans- 7 5:

verse incisions e e at points along its length, the material between the incisions being bent down to form flexible strips or tongues. The plate thus formed is placed upon the seat a4 of the block a, with the tongues e2 extending 8o down through the slots provided on the upper sides of the test-rings.

ABy providing a cylindrical test-ring with the slot on the upper side the test-ring forms a complete ring, as usual, at the front of the board, while the slot serves for the reception of the flexible tongue. Upon the strip e rests a plate g. The plug f, adapted to be inserted into the spring-jaok, is provided with a tip f', for making contact with the shorter line- 9o spring b',and acollarf2, adapted to engage the longer line-spring Z). Upon the plug is provided a sleeve f3, which makes contact with the test-ring CZ upon one side and with the flexible tongue e2 upon the other side. contact is thus insured between the sleeve of the plug and the test-rin g on one side and the flexible tongue on the other.

Firm

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. In a spring-j ack switch, the combination with a pair of terminals or contacts connected with the opposite sides of a telephone-line, of a connecting-plug adapted to be inserted into said switch and carrying contacts adapted to engage said terminals, a thimble forming one terminal of an electric circuit and mounted in front of said pair of terminals, a flexible tongue forming the other terminal of said electric circuit and resting opposite said thimble, said plug being provided with a sleeve adapted to be inserted between said thimble and said tongue to electrically unite the same, the flexible tongue serving to press the sleeve firmly against the tbimble and thus insure a good electrical contact between the sleeve, the thimble and the contact-spring; substantially as described.

2. In a strip of spring-jacks, the combination with the strip or block a carrying the projections a2 a2, ridge h3 and seat a4, and upon which the contacts of the spring-jacks are mounted, of the test-rings CZ forming a complete ring at the top of the strip and carrying each a slot in the upper side, the thin strip of metal e carrying the tongues c2 adapted to extend through the slots provided in the testrings, and the plate g resting upon the strip e substantially as described.

3. The combination with a number of spring-jack switches situated side by side to form a strip of spring-jack switches, of a pair of line-springs or contacts for each of said spring-jack switches, said line-springs or contacts being connected with the telephonelines7 a plug adapted to be inserted into a switch and carrying contacts adapted to engage the terminals of the spring-jack switch, a thimble for each spring-jack switch, the thimbles being partially cut away upon one side to form a slot, and a strip of metal situated at the side of said thimbles and carrying a number of tongues, one projecting into the slot or cutaway portion of each of said thimbles, said plug being provided with a sleeve adapted when the plug is inserted in a switchsocket to pass between its thimble and the tongue corresponding thereto to electrically unite the same; substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this th day of June, A. D. 1895.

l HARRY B. TIIAYER.

Titnessesz A. L. SALT, W. T. CARLETON. 

